Credit Hell...

[simple_minded]

Hello...

 

My problem is this:

I suffer from Schizophrenia, and have done since about 1994.

I had several loans outstanding - approx. £25k overall - when my mother passed away in 1999.

In my grief and despair I then walked away from my life/my council home (which I shared with my Mum) and my responsibilities.

I spent several years on the streets, living rough - mostly in a fugue of alcohol, depression and mental fog - moving from city to city, sometimes staying (or rather being forced to stay) in psychiatric hospitals.

 

Last year, an old ex-army friend discovered me in a state of extreme distress and has been helping me get back on my feet. I'm now taking my medication regularly and my life is slowly edging towards normality.

 

I re-registered with the War Pensions Department and am now receiving my war pension again - but because of the length of time out of general circulation plus my dismal credit rating that ensued from walking away from my debts - I find it impossible to open a bank account.

 

I am also now receiving threatening letters from literally dozens of Debt Recovery Agencies (some of them asking for the same monies owed? Are they allowed to do this?)

 

I am despondent, in that these letters are arriving at my friends home - a person who as shown nothing but kindness and compassion.

 

I don't want to drag him in to my hell of debt and so I'm considering walking away again so that this won't happen.

 

Does anyone have any advice?

[sillygirl1]

I'm sorry to hear of your problems but basically a lot of your debts sound as if they would be statute barred now and the DCAs are just trying one last gasp. Do you have a support worker or somebody like that who can sort things out - if I were you I would go to the Citizens Advice Bureau and they can send out letters on your behalf to these sharks.

 

They cannot send bailiffs to your friends house without a court order and they cannot just turn up on the doorstep demanding you pay XXX in full.

 

Other people will be along to offer more advice shortly.

[sillygirl1]

Have you tried getting a basic bank account with the Halifax or the Post Office? You don't need a credit check for the Halifax basic account.

[PGH7447]

Hi you need to tell us what these cretins are chasing you for then we can show you a way forward, if you list the dca's and the alledged debts againbst each we can provide the neccessary letters etc to start the fight back

[I've got no money]

There is a process (that I don't in all honesty understand fully) whereby creditors are supposed to give people with mental health difficulties special consideration - there is a special form that they use which I think has to be signed by a mental health professional.

 

Other than the fact that I was told that it was discussed at the IMA conference last week that is about as much as I know about it.

 

I don't know if any other Caggers know anything else about how it works

[PGH7447]

there is this

 

http://www.csa-uk.com/csa/upload/Mental_health.pdf

 

or this

 

http://www.mind.org.uk/money

[I've got no money]

I think that it's got something to do with the Money Advice Liason Group Mental Health Working Party but that's about all that I know